15-Year-Old Girl Survives Lightning Bolt Strike, Reveals It Entered Her Body Through Pinky Finger

A 15-year-old girl survived a lightning strike that hit her Pennsylvania, US, home on Monday. Giana Scaramuzzo's home was among at least five that were struck by lightning.

Citing local news station WTAE, Newsweek reported that the lightning went through Ms Scaramuzzo's pinky finger and out of her left leg. The teenager said that she was alright and was treated by paramedics. They checked her blood pressure, which was normal, and sent the results of an electrocardiogram - a test that measures electrical activity generated by the heart - to a local hospital

Speaking to WTAE, the 15-year-old said, “All of a sudden I hear the loud sound of thunder, and then I see lightning, and I see it reflect from my mirror, and all of a sudden I feel like a shock in my pinky, and then it goes up my body and out through my leg.”

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Ms Scaramuzzo added that she is still a “little scare and still in shock”. “It's kind of like I'm shaky and uneasy too,” she said. 

The lightning strike left a “large hole” in Ms Scaramuzzo's home and damaged several other nearby properties. But there were no fires, the local fire department informed.

Meanwhile, the incident comes after a lightning strike destroyed a single toilet in an apartment building in Oklahoma earlier this month. According to Newsweek, experts have said that around 10% of people who are struck by lightning die, most commonly due to heart attacks.

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To protect oneself, US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises people to stay inside during thunderstorms and stay off corded phones and not use computers or electronic equipment. People are also advised to stay away from windows and doors and stay out of the shower and away from other plumbing.